The poet Robert Browning once wrote that "a man in armor is his armor's slave." By that logic, director Jon Favreau is now a free man: Insiders tell Vulture that Favreau has just informed Marvel Studios that he won't direct a third Iron Man film.

It's unclear whether the impasse was financial or creative or both. One informed source hears that he was frustrated with Marvel's urge to stuff more of their in-house heroes into the next film in the wake of The Avengers. In a recent interview with MTV News, Favreau explained that based on his conversations with Marvel Studios executives, he had no clarity as to what a third Iron Man film would even be about. “In theory, Iron Man 3 is going to be a sequel or continuation of Thor, Hulk, Captain America and Avengers,” said Favreau at the time, “This whole world … I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from conversations I’ve had with those guys.”

Still other industry insiders look at Favreau's growing price tag and speculate that he was getting too expensive for the frugal Marvel and its equally cost-conscious parent company, Disney. In fact, one Hollywood player familiar with Marvel's playbook theorizes that the company had been pushing a confusing and packed vision of the third film as a tactic to provoke Favreau into leaving the project. Favreau, after all, is said to have received $10 million for the Iron Man sequel; it's unclear what he'd be seeking for a third film, but reps familiar with these sorts of gross participation deals tell Vulture that he likely would command $12 million to $15 million up front, plus a 15 percent percent of the gross after the film recouped. With star Robert Downey Jr. also participating in the gross (and so far it's a $1.2 billion global franchise), that's an enormous amount of cash headed out the door. Disney has got to be protective of their profits for an IM3: It bought Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, and then this October paid Paramount Pictures $115 million for the distribution rights to The Avengers and Iron Man 3 in order to reunite the titles with their parent company.

Regardless of why, we’re told that Marvel quietly began the process of finding a director to replace Favreau last night. But Marvel’s task is complicated by the fact that Downey Jr. has both contractually negotiated director approval and is currently the hottest leading man in Hollywood with first pick of dozens of "go" movies around town.

Favreau will be staying on the Disney lot, at least for now: His next project will be the studio's Magic Kingdom, about a family trapped in Disneyland and their magical encounters with all sorts of Disney attractions and rides. Marvel currently has no script for a third Iron Man, and while it has no plans to shoot the film until 2012 at the earliest, Marvel execs hope to put a director on the project to guide its development as soon as possible.

Also here is the official word from fav leaving from his twitter:

It's true, I'm directing Magic Kingdom, not Iron Man 3. I've had a great run with Marvel and wish them the best. about 2 hours ago via Echofon

Sucks fav is deciding to leave marvel and not return as director. I wish he was, wanted to see where he was going to take the characters next. Personally i didnt have any issues with im2, i thought it was a good movie. Yes not as strong as the first but not an out right terriable film at all. Also i didnt have any issues with nick fury/shield stuff at all. I didnt think they were overshadowing the film at all. Heck its like the comics they have x characters show up or get mentioned from time to time in other stories and all that. As for fav, i wish him the best of luck and hope he does decide to remain as a producer on im3(even if its in name only).

Also i would hope he appears again as happy hogan character. As for marvel i hope they select a solid replacement director. I cant think of any names at the top of my head i would like to see take over. But they have plently of time to get director and script for the film. It as i last read isnt schedule to go into production to spring/summer 2012 for a possible may 2013 release. So there is alot of time for marvel to get things going.

webhead2006 wrote:probably was which does suck. But i can see the business reasons to do that for marvel studios as a single studio and all that.

Um, Marvel Studios is owned by The Walt Disney Company. No fly-weight there....

They're still responsible for their bottom line. I'm not defending them in this, I'm just saying that, Disney or no Disney, they only have really three movies under their collective belt, and one wasn't even that big a hit.

thecolorsblend wrote:They're still responsible for their bottom line. I'm not defending them in this, I'm just saying that, Disney or no Disney, they only have really three movies under their collective belt, and one wasn't even that big a hit.

They may be, but in the end, you DON'T build a good relationship with the "fanbase" by pissing them off. Disney knows this, which is why they are who they are. Marvel Studios is going about it the wrong way.

And the Iron Man films have brought in over-

-Worldwide. I think Favreau has earned his pay.

_________________BJ Routh and Bryan Singer WERE the worst thing to happen to Superman since Bepo the Super Monkey.

Jon Favreau said Tuesday that he is walking away from the billion-dollar ”Iron Man” franchise and will join Guillermo del Toro and David Fincher as part of a next wave of filmmakers making live-action feature films rooted in the imagery of Disney theme parks and classic characters.

Favreau is set to direct “Magic Kingdom,” which the 44-year-old filmmaker described as a family fantasy adventure that will tap into the vintage Disney creations that “loomed so large in the imagination” of his generation. Favreau said that Fincher (expected by many to be a strong Oscar contender for “The Social Network“) will direct the studio’s ”20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” a Jules Verne bookshelf classic that is closely associated with Disney after the landmark 1954 film and the submarine theme-park ride, and Disney confirmed that to be the case. Del Toro had already been announced as director of a new “Haunted Mansion” film.

Favreau spoke in reverent terms of the legacy of Walt Disney and made it clear that his departure from Marvel is no snap decision or the result of fractured relations. The main impulse was to “find something that lights a fire” inside of him as a filmmaker and gives him a chance to “blow people away, which is easier to do with a project that isn’t loaded with built-in expectations.” He also said he has been researching the film for many weeks even as he worked on the post-production phase of “Cowboys & Aliens,” the genre mash-up (starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig) that hits theaters next summer.

Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. on set of "Iron Man 2" (Marvel Entertainment)

“Between the theme parks and the movies, the Disney iconography was probably the first set of archetypes that I was exposed to,” Favreau said of his youth in Flushing, N.Y. “Walt was able to expose me as a child to the full array of emotions, including fear and sorrow. Those movies and attractions haunted my dreams and made a deep impression on me as a child. When I first heard about the ['Magic Kingdom' film] project, I was on my way to visit Disneyland with my family. I took notes and had no problem filling a book with all the ideas that this concept offered, even on first blush. Since then, I was lucky enough to be given a tour of Imagineering by Tony Baxter, who knows just about everything there is to know about Disneyland. He pulled original concept art from the archives for me and exposed me to Walt’s original vision.”

Walt Disney (Los Angeles Times archives)Favreau walks away from the “Iron Man” franchise that pulled in $1.2 billion in worldwide grosses, raised the career of Robert Downey Jr. to a whole new strata and established upstart Marvel Studios as a serious player in the blockbuster business. In some corners of the Internet, the rumor of Favreau’s departure has been framed as a money issue or a conflict regarding Marvel’s aspiration to have all its superhero films crossover into one another. On Tuesday, though, Favreau said that he remains close to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige (the executive has even been an informal sounding board for “Magic Kingdom” ideas) and that he will stay on as a producer on ”The Avengers,” Marvel’s 2012 superhero team-up film.

Feige could not be reached for comment for this story. While declining to make any specific comment, a Disney spokesman confirmed that Favreau and Fincher are indeed working on “Magic Kingdom” and “20,000 Leagues,” respectively. Marvel’s parent, Marvel Entertainment, was purchased this year by Disney and it will be interesting to see if the smaller outfit becomes a proving ground that leads to the more deeply funded Disney proper. It’s telling that Favreau described his departure from Marvel more like a graduation than a divorce.

“Marvel and I both came of age together,” Favreau said. “The years that we shared were a pivotal experience. Kevin has a firm grasp on the many franchises and how they all interweave and I am happy that I had the opportunity to establish the world that these characters can now play in…. ‘Iron Man’ has given me tremendous opportunities and Kevin and I are enjoying a lot of momentum in our careers thanks to the ‘Iron Man’ films. I look forward to seeing what others can do playing in the same world.”

Favreau said he was eager for the challenge of “Magic Kingdom” and candidly added that part of that challenge will be separating the film from movies such “Night at the Museum” or “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” which have a similar concept at their foundation — presenting a new adventure with a gallery of iconic personas as supporting characters. (The film also will have to take a step or two away from Epic Mickey, the high-profile video game that just hit stores and presents a quest that plays out across a dark alternate counterpart version of Disneyland.)

“It can’t just be like the Christmas parade with all the Disney characters going by,” Favreau said. Speaking of holiday fare, Favreau also said he wants to connect with the smart but family-friendly spirit of “Elf,” his 2003 holiday film with Will Ferrell that grossed $220 million worldwide (and cost less than $35 million to make) and has grown in stature on home video and through television reruns.

“I can’t begin to tell you how fulfilling the perennial nature of ‘Elf’ on television has been for me,” Favreau said. “It’s great to be able to connect parents with children both emotionally and through humor. I look forward to exploring family entertainment once again and examining the specifics of our day-to-day lives against the backdrop of an extraordinary adventure.”

Not really on topic or anything but, happy as I am for Jon Favreau The Director, am I the only one who kinda misses Jon Favreau The Actor? He hasn't done a whole lot the past few years but I've always enjoyed his humorous roles.

I'm not an expert on Favreau's career, acting OR directing, but I DID notice he was in the Iron Man films. One thing that WAS funny in Iron Man 2 was how he spent ALL that time fighting just ONE guy while the Black Widow was wiping them out one right after the other! I also seem to recall him having some comedic role in the type of film that my wife likes AKA 'romantic comedy'. Did he play in one of THESE films alongside Ryan Reynolds? Or was that someone else? Nevertheless I'm SURE I remember him in something.

@Nightwing.. What exactly are you referring to in regards to Batman 3?? Sure, my posts were not explicitly detailed, but what has been proven false so far?? Nothing that I've seen. And the problems with Superman I briefly touched on have started to show too.. Nolan jumped ship not because he wanted to solely focus on Batman. That was a bull $%&# cover story. He was having the same problem with WB execs that Singer had in Dec 2006. They weren't seeing eye to eye and in everyone's best interest he went back to Batman and almost walked from it too. Every script Nolan and Goyer did wasn't what WB wanted. Snyder has control. He was hired specifically to make the film work and do it fast. Eventually, the public will know of another writer involved.

As for Iron Man 3, it is true he made the decision on his own. It's not a face saving measure like Nolan with Superman. The timing of projects, how Marvel wanted to proceed with specific things, etc just didn't fit well with his personal goals as a director. I wish he would reconsider, but they are already looking at someone else that isn't a bad choice given the style of film. It should work out well for everyone in the end."

AND:

"Chou_Zu said:

As great as it was Iron Man 2 still had a lot of the flaws of the first. A fresh perspective could be good.

I agree. And Iron Man 3 occurs after the events in The Avengers so it won't just be Iron Man. One thing though, expect Favreau to make a cameo still even though he won't be directing."

What can I say?! You GOTTA love it!

Not only does 'Steve' know all things Nolan & Snyder but now Favreau as well! SEE?! Favreau will still ACT in the Iron Man films! He even insinuates he know Favreau's replacement as director! However, he's 'cryptic' as usual, right? When he CAN though he'll CONFIRM what's ALREADY confirmed!

Yea non. As for fav it would be nice if he does cameo as happy hogan. But its still a long while to im 3 will shoot. So who knows. Or the easiest thing to do is just say happy is away for something family/vaction to explain him not in the film if they don't recast the role. As for batman/superman. I doubt nolan was having any main problems. He is only a producer on the project and he was probably never going to be to hands on in the first place. So I doubt what steve was saying is true.

@Nightwing.. What exactly are you referring to in regards to Batman 3?? Sure, my posts were not explicitly detailed, but what has been proven false so far?? Nothing that I've seen. And the problems with Superman I briefly touched on have started to show too.. Nolan jumped ship not because he wanted to solely focus on Batman. That was a bull $%&# cover story. He was having the same problem with WB execs that Singer had in Dec 2006. They weren't seeing eye to eye and in everyone's best interest he went back to Batman and almost walked from it too. Every script Nolan and Goyer did wasn't what WB wanted. Snyder has control. He was hired specifically to make the film work and do it fast. Eventually, the public will know of another writer involved.

How can you prove something that is NEVER SAID "false"?? Seriously, this idiot says NOTHING until after the fact, and expects to be proven "wrong"?

Those idiots over their DESERVE the bullshit they are fed.

As for Iron Man 3, it is true he made the decision on his own. It's not a face saving measure like Nolan with Superman. The timing of projects, how Marvel wanted to proceed with specific things, etc just didn't fit well with his personal goals as a director. I wish he would reconsider, but they are already looking at someone else that isn't a bad choice given the style of film. It should work out well for everyone in the end."

AND:

"Chou_Zu said:

As great as it was Iron Man 2 still had a lot of the flaws of the first. A fresh perspective could be good.

I agree. And Iron Man 3 occurs after the events in The Avengers so it won't just be Iron Man. One thing though, expect Favreau to make a cameo still even though he won't be directing."

There are those who speculate that Marvel didn't like the possible $12 to $15 million dollar price tag that would come with keeping Favreau on board. So what better way to shove a director out of the picture than by handing him a jumbled, horrible script? Then again, it could be a number of other reasons going on behind the scenes. Luckily Favreau shed a little more light on the situation in regards to how everything is being planned out at Marvel:

In theory, 'Iron Man 3' is going to be a sequel or continuation of 'Thor,' 'Hulk,' 'Captain America' and 'Avengers,' " Favreau said. "This whole world ... I have no idea what it is. I don't think they do either, from conversations I've had with those guys."

"Honestly, right now 'Captain America' and 'Thor' are their big priorities," he continued. "And you learn things by shooting and making movies. The script is one thing, but when you actually see what you land on at the editing room — especially with Marvel where they film, cut, film some more and shape the film — you really learn as you go."

The bold part says a lot, don't you think?

non_amos wrote:What can I say?! You GOTTA love it!

Not only does 'Steve' know all things Nolan & Snyder but now Favreau as well! SEE?! Favreau will still ACT in the Iron Man films! He even insinuates he know Favreau's replacement as director! However, he's 'cryptic' as usual, right? When he CAN though he'll CONFIRM what's ALREADY confirmed!

I hope EmiJane took this loser for all he's worth. Too bad she couldn't get his computer too.

She could have saved us ALL his tired SHIT.

_________________BJ Routh and Bryan Singer WERE the worst thing to happen to Superman since Bepo the Super Monkey.